Missing sleepwalker found trapped in Xinjiang mountains

Source:Globaltimes.cn Published: 2013-10-21 15:52:16

A man who went missing for two days stands in a narrow crevice located in the cliffs of the Flaming Mountains in Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on October 20. The man told rescuers he had become trapped in the cliffs 30 meters off the ground while sleepwalking. Photo: iyaxin.com

A man who went missing in the desert mountains of Northwest China was rescued on October 20, where baffled police said he claims to have become trapped in the cliffs while sleepwalking during the night.

Rescue workers in Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were alerted after a local villager discovered the 27-year-old man caught in a narrow crevice deep in the red, sandstone hills known as the Flaming Mountains nearly 30 meters off the ground.

Due to the rough terrain and remote location more than 10 kilometers from the Turpan city center, rescuers were forced to borrow eight ladders from a nearby construction site to help the man out of the one-meter wide gap.

Police said he had suffered only minor bruises from the ordeal.

Family members explained that the man, a resident of a nearby village, had been missing since October 17.

The man has no recollection of how he had become trapped in the cliff, and claims to have been faintly aware he had been sleepwalking nights before.